Extraposition and the Nachfeld (post-field) as a stylistic device

Normally the German verbal bracket (Satzklammer) closes a clause: the finite verb in second position and the non-finite parts (participle, separable prefix, infinitive) at the end. Ausklammerung deliberately moves a constituent into the Nachfeld - after that closing verb - to lighten an otherwise heavy clause or to spotlight the trailing element.

Comparisons with als/wie, long prepositional phrases and relative clauses move into the Nachfeld most naturally:

• Er hat mehr geleistet, als irgendjemand erwartet hatte. - He achieved more than anyone had expected. (comparison)
• Er hat sich nie beklagt, nicht einmal in den schwersten Stunden seiner Haft. - He never complained, not even in the hardest hours of his imprisonment. (PP highlighted)
• Sie ist gereist nach Rom, Wien und Prag. - She travelled to Rome, Vienna and Prague. (heavy PP)

It is the mirror image of fronting (Spitzenstellung): material goes back, not forward.

Common mistakes:

• Treating it as careless word order; in formal writing it must be a deliberate choice, or it can read as sloppy.
• Pushing short, light objects into the Nachfeld, which sounds awkward; reserve it for comparisons, heavy PPs and clauses.
• Overusing it, which fragments the clause and tires the reader.

Moving a constituent into the Nachfeld (after the closing verb) to lighten the bracket or create stylistic emphasis.

Normally the verb closes the bracket, but comparisons, long PPs and clauses may follow it ('Ausklammerung'). This loosens an otherwise heavy clause and can spotlight the trailing element.

Verschiebung eines Glieds ins Nachfeld (hinter den verbalen Schlussteil), um die Satzklammer zu entlasten oder zu betonen.